Crœsus and Cyrus · 4019 dagen geleden by Ad van den Ende
I, 86-88
LXXXVI.
[1] οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι τάς τε δὴ Σάρδις ἔσχον
The Persians captured Sardis
καὶ αὐτὸν Κροῖσον ἐζώγρησαν,
and catched Crœsus himself alive,
ἄρξαντα ἔτεα τεσσερεσκαίδεκα
having reigned fourteen years
καὶ τεσσερεσκαίδεκα ἡμέρας πολιορκηθέντα,
and having been besieged fourteen days,
κατὰ τὸ χρηστήριόν τε καταπαύσαντα
according to the oracle having brought to an end
τὴν ἑωυτοῦ μεγάλην ἀρχήν.
his own great empire.
λαβόντες δὲ αὐτὸν
Having taken him
οἱ Πέρσαι ἤγαγον παρὰ Κῦρον.
the Persians brought him to Cyrus.
[2] ὁ δὲ συννήσας πυρὴν μεγάλην
And having piled up a great pyre
ἀνεβίβασε ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν τὸν Κροῖσόν
he caused Crœsus to go up upon it,
τε ἐν πέδῃσι δεδεμένον
bound in fetters,
καὶ δὶς ἑπτὰ Λυδῶν παρ᾽ αὐτὸν παῖδας,
and twice seven sons of Lydians along with him,
ἐν νόῳ ἔχων εἴτε
planning either
δὴ ἀκροθίνια ταῦτα καταγιεῖν θεῶν ὅτεῳ δή,
that votive-gift to offer to some god,
εἴτε καὶ εὐχὴν ἐπιτελέσαι θέλων,
or desiring to fulfil a vow,
εἴτε καὶ πυθόμενος
or else having heard
τὸν Κροῖσον εἶναι θεοσεβέα
that Crœsus was a god-fearing man;
τοῦδε εἵνεκεν
for the sake of that
ἀνεβίβασε ἐπὶ τὴν πυρήν,
he caused him to go up on the pyre
βουλόμενος εἰδέναι
wishing to know
εἴ τίς μιν δαιμόνων ῥύσεται
if any one of the deities would save him
τοῦ μὴ ζῶντα κατακαυθῆναι.
from being burnt alive.
[3] τὸν μὲν δὴ ποιέειν ταῦτα·
(They say that) he did this,
τῷ δὲ Κροίσῳ ἑστεῶτι ἐπὶ τῆς πυρῆς
but (that) to Crœsus, as he stood upon the pyre,
ἐσελθεῖν, καίπερ ἐν κακῷ ἐόντι τοσούτῳ,
there came, although he was in such misery,
τὸ τοῦ Σόλωνος
the (memory of the saying) of Solon,
ὥς οἱ εἴη σὺν θεῷ εἰρημένον,
that to him by a god had been said,
τὸ μηδένα εἶναι τῶν ζωόντων ὄλβιον.
that no one of the living men was happy.
(They say that),
ὡς δὲ ἄρα μιν προσστῆναι τοῦτο,
when this thought had come into his mind,
ἀνενεικάμενόν
having drawn a long breath
τε καὶ ἀναστενάξαντα
and having sighed aloud,
ἐκ πολλῆς ἡσυχίης
after a long silence,
ἐς τρὶς ὀνομάσαι «Σόλων.»
he three times uttered the name of Solon.
[4]
καὶ
And (they say that),
τὸν Κῦρον ἀκούσαντα
Cyrus, having heard this,
κελεῦσαι τοὺς ἑρμηνέας
bade the interpreters
ἐπειρέσθαι τὸν Κροῖσον
to ask Crœsus
τίνα τοῦτον ἐπικαλέοιτο,
on whom he called;
καὶ τοὺς προσελθόντας ἐπειρωτᾶν·
and that they, having come near, it asked.
(They say that)
Κροῖσον δὲ τέως μὲν σιγὴν ἔχειν εἰρωτώμενον,
Crœsus for a time kept silence when he was asked,
μετὰ δὲ ὡς ἠναγκάζετο, εἰπεῖν
but afterwards, when he was pressed, said:
«τὸν ἂν ἐγὼ πᾶσι τυράννοισι προετίμησα
“One whom more than much wealth I should desire
μεγάλων χρημάτων ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν.»
to have speech with all monarchs.
ὡς δέ σφι ἄσημα ἔφραζε,
And since he said for them obscure things
πάλιν ἐπειρώτων τὰ λεγόμενα.
they asked again that which he had said;
[5] λιπαρεόντων δὲ αὐτῶν
and as they begged earnestly
καὶ ὄχλον παρεχόντων,
and made trouble,
ἔλεγε δὴ ὡς ἦλθε ἀρχὴν ὁ Σόλων
he told how once Solon had come,
ἐὼν Ἀθηναῖος,
being an Athenian,
καὶ θεησάμενος πάντα τὸν ἑωυτοῦ
and having inspected all that was of him,
ὄλβον ἀποφλαυρίσειε οἷα δὴ εἶπας,
wealth despised, with such and such words;
ὥς τε αὐτῷ πάντα ἀποβεβήκοι
and how for him all had turned out
τῇ περ ἐκεῖνος εἶπε,
according as he had said,
οὐδέν τι μᾶλλον ἐς ἑωυτὸν λέγων
not at all mohr with a view to himself speaking
ἢ οὐκ ἐς ἅπαν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον
than to the whole mankind,
καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς παρὰ σφίσι αὐτοῖσι
and most to those who to themselves
ὀλβίους δοκέοντας εἶναι.
seem to be happy men.
(They say that)
τὸν μὲν Κροῖσον ταῦτα ἀπηγέεσθαι,
Crœsus told these things,
τῆς δὲ πυρῆς ἤδη ἁμμένης
and that of the pyre, already lighted,
καίεσθαι τὰ περιέσχατα.
were burning the edges;
[6] καὶ τὸν Κῦρον
and that Cyrus,
ἀκούσαντα τῶν ἑρμηνέων
having heard from the interpreters
τὰ Κροῖσος εἶπε,
what Crœsus had said,
μεταγνόντα
having changed his mind
τε καὶ ἐννώσαντα
and having considered
ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐὼν
that he himself also was a man,
ἄλλον ἄνθρωπον,
and that he another man,
γενόμενον ἑωυτοῦ εὐδαιμονίῃ οὐκ ἐλάσσω,
who had not been inferior to himself in felicity,
ζῶντα πυρὶ διδοίη,
was delivering alive to the fire;
πρός τε τούτοισι δείσαντα τὴν τίσιν
and moreover fearing the punishment
καὶ ἐπιλεξάμενον
and reflecting
ὡς οὐδὲν εἴη
that there was nothing
τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποισι
of that by the people
ἀσφαλέως ἔχον,
which was secure;
κελεύειν
he ordered
σβεννύναι τὴν ταχίστην
to extinguish as quickly as possible
τὸ καιόμενον πῦρ
the burning fire
καὶ καταβιβάζειν Κροῖσόν
and to bring down Crœsus
τε καὶ τοὺς μετὰ Κροίσου.
and those (who were) with Crœsus;
καὶ τοὺς πειρωμένους
and tat they, trying (to do so),
οὐ δύνασθαι ἔτι
were not able yet longer
τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπικρατῆσαι.
to get the mastery of the fire.
LXXXVII. [1] ἐνθαῦτα λέγεται ὑπὸ Λυδῶν
Then, it is said by the Lydians
Κροῖσον μαθόντα
that Crœsus, having comprehended
τὴν Κύρου μετάγνωσιν,
how Cyrus had changed his mind,
ὡς ὥρα πάντα μὲν ἄνδρα
when he saw that every man
σβεννύντα τὸ πῦρ,
was trying to put out the fire,
δυναμένους δὲ οὐκέτι καταλαβεῖν,
but that they were no longer able to check it,
ἐπιβώσασθαι τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα ἐπικαλεόμενον,
has invoked Apollo, (him) calling to aid,
εἴ τί οἱ κεχαρισμένον
that if something agreable
ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐδωρήθη,
had been given by him,
παραστῆναι καὶ ῥύσασθαι αὐτὸν
he would come to his aid and rescue him
ἐκ τοῦ παρεόντος κακοῦ.
from the present evil.
[2] τὸν μὲν δακρύοντα ἐπικαλέεσθαι τὸν θεόν,
he weeping called to aid the god,
ἐκ δὲ αἰθρίης τε καὶ νηνεμίης
and that, after clear sky and calm weather
συνδραμεῖν ἐξαπίνης νέφεα
suddenly clouds gathered
καὶ χειμῶνά τε καταρραγῆναι
and a storm burst,
καὶ ὗσαι ὕδατι λαβροτάτῳ,
and that it rained with a very violent shower,
κατασβεσθῆναί τε τὴν πυρήν.
and the fire was extinguished.
(They say that)
οὕτω δὴ μαθόντα τὸν Κῦρον
Cyrus, so having perceived
ὡς εἴη ὁ Κροῖσος καὶ θεοφιλὴς
that Crœsus was a lover of the gods
καὶ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός,
and a good man,
καταβιβάσαντα αὐτὸν
after having caused him to be brought down
ἀπὸ τῆς πυρῆς
from the pyre
εἰρέσθαι τάδε.
that he asked him as follows.
[3] «Κροῖσε, τίς σε ἀνθρώπων
“Crœsus, who of all men
ἀνέγνωσε
persuaded you,
ἐπὶ γῆν τὴν ἐμὴν στρατευσάμενον
marching upon my land
πολέμιον ἀντὶ φίλου
an enemy instead of a friend
ἐμοὶ καταστῆναι;
to become for me?”
ὁ δὲ εἶπε «ὦ βασιλεῦ,
And he said: “O king,
ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἔπρηξα
I did this
τῇ σῇ μὲν εὐδαιμονίῃ,
to thy felicity
τῇ ἐμεωυτοῦ δὲ κακοδαιμονίῃ,
and to my own misfortune;
αἴτιος δὲ τούτων ἐγένετο
and responsible for this was
ὁ Ἑλλήνων θεὸς
the god of the Hellenes,
ἐπαείρας ἐμὲ στρατεύεσθαι.
having incited me to march with my army.
[4] οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω ἀνόητος ἐστὶ
For no one is so foolish
ὅστις πόλεμον πρὸ εἰρήνης αἱρέεται·
who chooses war rather than peace,
ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ
since in the first case
οἱ παῖδες τοὺς πατέρας θάπτουσι,
the sons bury their fathers,
ἐν δὲ τῷ οἱ πατέρες τοὺς παῖδας.
but in the second case the fathers (bury) their sons.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα δαίμοσί κου
But for a deity, I suppose,
φίλον ἦν
it was pleasing
οὕτω γενέσθαι.»
that this so should happen.”
LXXXVIII. [1] ὅ μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγε,
He said that,
Κῦρος δὲ αὐτὸν λύσας
and Cyrus,after loosing his bonds,
κατεῖσέ τε ἐγγὺς ἑωυτοῦ
let sit him near himself
καὶ κάρτα ἐν πολλῇ προμηθίῃ εἶχε,
and gave him very much respect,
ἀπεθώμαζέ τε ὁρέων
and he admired him, him seeing,
καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἐόντες πάντες.
he himself and all who were about him .
ὁ δὲ συννοίῃ ἐχόμενος ἥσυχος ἦν·
And he (Crœsus), lost in thought, was quiet.
[2] μετὰ δὲ ἐπιστραφείς
But later, having turned round
τε καὶ ἰδόμενος τοὺς Πέρσας
and having seen the Persians
τὸ τῶν Λυδῶν ἄστυ κεραΐζοντας εἶπε
plundering the city of the Lydians, said:
«ὦ βασιλεῦ, κότερον λέγειν πρὸς σὲ
“O king, is it necessary to say to you
τὰ νοέων τυγχάνω
that which I chance to have in my thought,
ἢ σιγᾶν
or (is it necessary) to keep silent
ἐν τῷ παρεόντι χρή;»
in this stuation?”
Κῦρος δέ μιν θαρσέοντα ἐκέλευε λέγειν
And Cyrus begged him boldly to say
ὅ τι βούλοιτο.
whatsoever he desired;
ὁ δὲ αὐτὸν εἰρώτα λέγων
and he asked him saying:
[3] «οὗτος ὁ πολλὸς ὅμιλος
This great multitude of men,
τί ταῦτα
what is it that
πολλῇ σπουδῇ ἐργάζεται;»
it with much eagerness is doing?”
ὁ δὲ εἶπε
and he said:
«πόλιν τε τὴν σὴν διαρπάζει
“Your city it is plundering
καὶ χρήματα τὰ σὰ διαφορέει.»
and your possesions it carries away.”
Κροῖσος δὲ ἀμείβετο
And Crœsus answered:
«οὔτε πόλιν τὴν ἐμὴν
“Neither my city
οὔτε χρήματα τὰ ἐμὰ διαρπάζει·
nor my possessions it plunders.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐμοὶ ἔτι τούτων μέτα·
for nothing of that belongs to me any longer.
ἀλλὰ φέρουσί τε καὶ ἄγουσι τὰ σά.»
but they carry and drive away the things of you!”
89. [1] Κύρῳ δὲ ἐπιμελὲς ἐγένετο
And Cyrus was concerned
τὰ Κροῖσος εἶπε·
by that which Crœsus had said.
